Low carb diets (Updated)

Low carb
diets

There are
various types of diet plans followed with an aim of losing weight. These plans
are mainly designed keeping in mind the needs and the requirements of the
person. Among various such plans the most popular these days are the low carb
diets.

Low
carbohydrate diets which are commonly know as low carb diets are the diet plan
where consumption of carbohydrate is restricted in order to control weight.
Foods like bread and pasta that have high carbohydrate contents are replaced
with foods like soy products, green vegetables and meat which are rich source
of proteins and fats.

Carbohydrate
Content

Whatever
food we consume is a combination of 3 macro nutrients which are sugar or
carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The carbohydrates percentage can be different
in different foods and on this basis the diet is named high, low, moderate and
very low in carbs. The high carb diet has around 50-70 % of the carbohydrates,
moderate carb diet has 40-50%, low carb diets have 25-39 % carbohydrates whereas
the very low carb diet has 0-25 %.

In general
terms the diet consisting of less than 50-60 % of the carb is considered to be
low carb diets. These low carb diets can also be called high protein diets as
they are rich source of protein and fats.

Benefits of
Low Carb Diets

The most
common and popular benefits of having low carb diet is to reduce weight and
fight obesity. Low carb diets ensure that less amount of carbohydrates enters
the body and thus helps in maintaining weight. Beside weight loss low carb diets
are also used in treatments of other problems like intractable epilepsy found
in children and diabetes.

Types of
Low Carb Diets

There are
various low carb diets that contain very little and moderate amount of carbs.

Atkins
Diet:

It is the
most popular diet plan for people in search of diet charts devoid of
carbohydrates. It was written in 1970 by Dr.Robert Atkins. The Atkins Diet is
followed in 4 phases. This diet eventually results in ketosis, which is
responsible for the weight loss.

The south
beach diet is followed in 3 phases where carb intake is managed properly. This
diet lays emphasis on consuming the un- refined and GI carbohydrates. Thus this
diet mainly focuses on balancing between the good and the bad types of carbs.